Insect-gathering machine



Oct. 2, 1928.

J. P. OWENS INSECT GATHERING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 26, 1925 Oct. 2, 1928.

J. P.OWENS INSECT GATHERING MACHINE Filed'Gct. 26, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 2, 1928.

JAMES P; ownns, OF'WEATI-IERFORVYJJ," Taxes.

iNSEGT-GATHERING MACHINE.

Application filed October 26'', 1925. Serial no. 4,733.

My iDVQIItiODIQlatBS to insect gathering devices 'and more particularly to devices for catching insects from growing and fruiting plants, such as cotton plants, and articularly for catching bo'llweevi'lsandfor gathering the squares and small bolls in which the larvae are located, The machine hereinafter described is particularly adapted to gather the squares and small bolls as well as the boll weevils themselves. The object is to gather any and all insects" that infest the plants and to gather squares and bolls which have been punctured by the boil weevils. The boll weevils puncture the squares and small bolls and deposit the eggs which produce the larvae" and. the squares and small bolls which have been punctured can be shakenfroih the stalks by proper machinery,

a b ne.

as hereinafter described." Another object is to provide devices for gathering the army worms which destroy c'otton plants. The advantage of such machine is that the various kinds of insects, cotton squares, and bolls may be collected so that they can be burned 'or otherwise destroyed, and at the same time provide a machine or devices which will;

not injure the growing plants or knock oft the uninjured squares and bolls. The punctured squares and bolls are easily shaken from the stalks by the improved, machine witliou't afiecting the uninjured squares and Otherfiobjects and advantages will befull'y' explained in the following descrip- Fig; 3 is a perspective view of the d-r1ving (ion and the invention will be more partilcu- 'larly pointed out in the claims;

"Refei'ence is hadto the accompanying,

drawings which forin'a part of, this applima s. I p v V Fig-1 is a side elevation of the insect gathei'er. Fig. 2 is aplan vlew of the same.

gear for the blades and the frame and bear- 'ings' therefor on one side oi the machine.

Fig.4 is an enlarged View oftlie'blade drivr" in'g gear' on one side of the machine. P g.

5" a vertical cross-section of a pan for ga-tl'iei ing the insects and squares and bolls.

Fig. 6 isan enlarged plan view of the agitating bl a dbs and gearing for driving the blades. Figifi? is across-section of a pair of blades. Fig 8 is a'pl'anview, SliOWliig a variation in the gathering pansy Fig. 9' is a vertical cross-section of the same.

severail' views.

Similar characters of reference are used' to indicate the $211116 parts throughout the The insect gatherer has supporting and driving wheels 1; and a frame therefor Each wheel has astub-"shaft 2 and two hearing frames 3 are provided with bearingsje for the shafts 2'. The. frame of the machine is supported' onthe bearing frames The upper part of the frame consists oifth'evc'ross bars 5 and longitudinal bars Gwhiehare connected to form a rectangular frame; A

seat 7 is supported on the longitudinal bars and on the rear cross-bar 5. The'rectangw' lar frame is supported on uprights 8"which are riveted to the upper and rectangular j 7|) frame and the uprights are bolted 'attlijeir lowerends to the bearing frames 3:; there being four uprights 8 on one sideTof the machine and four uprights 8 on the other side of the machine The machine' can be drawn "and in the rear of the inachineserve tobal ance :the weight of the blades oi'i' the shaft" i and the machine and aifords a relatively l'ongtreatment' of the plants whileithe ma'-. chine is passi-ngl' I The means 't'orsh'ak'i'ng the bo'll weevils. and other insects and the squares. and bolls from the plants consist of revolving bl ades attached to. shafts 13. The shattsIS-ai'e v driven 'by bevel pinioiiis 1 4 which arei igid Y Wli'ill the shafts l3 andby bevel gear; wheels 15 which are rigid witl-r'the stub shafts 2.-

Bearings116 and" l7 are provided for the shafts 13'. By such gearing the shafts '13 are driven from the wheels 1 Thete'eth of the gear wlieelslt'i are curved, as showntlso v thatthe shafts 13 may be set at different an glesto the longitudinal direction of the travel ofth'e n'achine; Bolt holes are pmthat these bearings may beset at different positions to change the angle of'the' shafts" v V 1 'vided in the 1613311633 for the bearings 16 so ferent angles and it is not necessary to i change the bearings 111' The means for agitating or's'haking the cotton stalks consists 0f-,b=1aaes=,--a pair of.

blades; 18 anda p'air 'of blades 19 for each I shaft 13 The blades onpaddles 18 "are pivotally connected at their front ends at 20and the blades are attached to the shafts 13 by bolts 21. I These blades are wide, at the rear ends and taper smaller towards their front ends and there is provision for wards the front. 7 The object is to make the blades penetrate moreeasily through the cotton plants to prevent knocking or hammering the cotton and knocking the bolls therefrom and otherwise injuring-the plants.

Inforder to prevent the (blades orpaddles '18 from catching thecotton plants at their front ends, the bladesare' projected. into hoods 26 sothat the front ends ofthe blades 7 are-shielded from the cotton plants. The

hoods 26. are mounted on the bearing frames 3, the side's-of the hoods being left open to receive the gearing .14 and 15;, The hoods 26 thus prevent. the cotton plants from being entangle-d the gearin'gl The hoods 26 are attached to lnterior circular disks 27 which have central openings for the shafts The ,hoods'26 are non-revolublet Caps 28- are revolubly mounted onthe front endsof thehoodsZti and project to some extent on the blades 19 and revolve with the blades 19. .7 The hoods or caps 28 serve as shields to I prevent the front ends of the hoods 26 from hammering or knocking on the cotton plants.

' cleats 29 for steadying and holdingthe blades 1 g The blades {19 ;fmay be set at right angles to the blades 18 and. the blades may becurved-on the edges fTheblades 18 and119 are provided with firmly during operation.

' .30 to; prevent the blades from cutting'the relatively long blades and the cotton .orother plants; The shafts 13, in

operation, are placed with thefront ends relatively further apart than." their rear, The object isv to set the shafts at ends. angles to the rowsof cotton so that the revolving blades or paddles will tend to force thecotton plants over the pan 31 into which the boil weevils and other insects and squares and bolls are to be gathered. The' blades 18 will thus be relatively close together in operation and by'reason of the shape of the blades, the plants will be inclined over the pan 31 without injury to the plants. There will be a gradual inclining f the plants-over the pan as the plants are agitated, andthe insects and squares and bolls will drop into the pan.

41 are 7 The pan'31 is loosely connected to the front part of the machine. A pipe 32 is attached to the'cross-bar 11 and provided with a brace The pan is limited in its movement downward by a chain 34.

and projects loosely upwardly within the pipe 32. This arrangement makes a loose flexible connection of the pan with the front part'of the machine. The; upper edges 86 ofthe panare'curved so that. insects cannot crawl out of the pan. Most of the-material caught in the pan will be shifted backwardly towards the end ofthe pain 31. A supple p mental pan 87 is loosely mounted in the-rear end of the: pan 31 and hasthe front, end

open. .Thev insects and other materiahwih g V p A T-rod is 'pivotally connected to the bottom of the pan generally be shifted into the pan37, They can be thrown out into some receptacle without. disturbing the main pan 311 .7

In case of widerows of cotton andiother cases, two pans 38 and 39"may be used. They 'are tobe connected to the front of the machine 'in the same manner as the other. pan' 31 and will be so connected as to have atendency to bear out closet to the cotton stalks of each row. They may be connected by some flexible material iOthat will permit the pans to spread apart.

For cotton higher thanusriah the machine isv made adjustable to different heights.

The method for adjusting to different heights is simply to-remove the Wheels and put on higher or lower wheels as may be required. See dotted, outline in Fig. 11.

This is the simplest and best method since the gearing and other parts remain undisv turbed. r

' The invention herein set. forth is an improvernent on a patent granted to mellovember 14L, 1922;No. 1,435,656. for insect destroyer. v

What I claim is: 1. An insect destroying machine having a receptacle for receiving insects, relatively long revolving shafts front blades pivotally connected together at their. front ends and rear-blades pivotally connected together at their front ends andhaving their rear ends relatively wide and tapering towards the front and all'operatively connected to said shafts, means for adjustablyfattaching said blades. tosaid shafts at their rearends for varying the taper of'said blades,the distribution of said blades in front and in the rear serving to balance the machine and affording extended agitationofthe plants 2. An insect gathering machine compris-v ing a wheeled truck provided witha frame, bearing frames, stub shafts journaled on said bearing-frames and driven. by the.

wheels of said truclgrelatively long agitating shafts, and bearings therefor adjustably relatively long front blades and rear blades ance their Weight on the machine, gearing for driving said agitating shafts from said stub shafts, hoods and capstherefor inclosing the rear ends of the front blades and the front ends of the rear blades for shielding the growing plants from said gearing, and means for collecting insects, squares and bolls. V V

3. An insect gathering machine comprising a wheeled truck provided with a frame, relatively long shafts journaled on said frame, gearing for driving said shafts from the Wheels of said truck, front and rear blades adjustably attached to said shafts, hoods and caps therefor inclosing the rear ends of said front blades and the front ends 20 of said rear blades for shielding plants from said gearing, and means for collecting the" insects, squares and bolls shaken down by said blades. v K

4. An insect gathering machine c'ompris ing a Wheeled truck, bearing frames, rela tively long shafts journaledon said bearing frames, gearing for driving said shafts from the Wheelsof the truck, front and rear blades adjustably attached to said shafts, hoods mounted on said bearing frames and centrally positioned on said shafts and inclosing the front ends of said rear blades, hooded caps revolving on the front ends of said I hoods and inclosing the rear ends of said front blades and revolving therewith, and means for collecting insects, squares and bolls shakenfrom the plants by said blades.

In testimony whereof, I set my hand, this 22nd day of October, 1925.

JAMES P. WEN 

